HOUSE BILL No. 4937

 

July 2, 2003, Introduced by Reps. Caswell, Nitz, Julian, Hummel, Emmons, Pastor, Byrum, Robertson, Vander Veen, Stahl, Mortimer, Nofs, Taub, Pumford, Ward, Casperson, Elkins, Sheltrown, Rivet, Stakoe, Bradstreet, Brandenburg, Gillard, LaJoy, Shaffer, Minore, Zelenko, Accavitti, Brown and Williams and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1965 PA 290, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Boiler act of 1965,"                                                       

                                                                                

    by amending section 7a (MCL 408.757a), as amended by 1982 PA                

                                                                                

    176.                                                                        

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 7a.  (1)  Antique  Except as otherwise provided in this                

                                                                                

2   section, antique traction and historical steam boilers preserved,           

                                                                                

3   restored, or maintained for hobby or demonstration use shall                

                                                                                

4   comply with the rules promulgated by the board and shall be                 

                                                                                

5   inspected once every 3 years.  An owner of an antique traction              

                                                                                

6   steam boiler may request an inspection more often than every 3              

                                                                                

7   years.  Antique traction and historical steam boilers used for              

                                                                                

8   commercial purposes shall be inspected annually.  If the                    

                                                                                

9   inspection is made by a deputy inspector, the fee  shall be                 

                                                                                

10  $25.00  is $45.00.  Fees established in this section  shall  are            

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   not  be  subject to change by rule.  A certificate of inspection            

                                                                                

2   shall be issued by the department of  labor  consumer and                   

                                                                                

3   industry services upon compliance with the applicable rules.                

                                                                                

4       (2) This act  shall  does not apply to miniature steam  or                  

                                                                                

5   engines, marine engines, or miniature railroad engines used as a            

                                                                                

6   hobby and for private use only.                                             

                                                                                

7       (3) The department of consumer and industry services shall                  

                                                                                

8   not prohibit the public operation of a historical steam boiler by           

                                                                                

9   an operator certified by the Michigan historical steam engine               

                                                                                

10  association or other similar organization acceptable to the                 

                                                                                

11  department of consumer and industry services so long as the                 

                                                                                

12  operator provides proof acceptable to the department of consumer            

                                                                                

13  and industry services of both of the following:                             

                                                                                

14      (a) At least 100 hours of actual operating experience or                    

                                                                                

15  training in the operation and care of historical antique traction           

                                                                                

16  steam boilers.                                                              

                                                                                

17      (b) Successful completion of a course designed for training                 

                                                                                

18  historical boiler operators and the passing of a written or                 

                                                                                

19  verbal examination, with a score of 70% proficiency, that the               

                                                                                

20  department of consumer and industry services, with the advice of            

                                                                                

21  the Michigan historical steam engine association, determines                

                                                                                

22  sufficient to test the knowledge and competency for the safe                

                                                                                

23  operation of historical boilers.                                            

                                                                                

24      (4) The standards of the Michigan historical steam engine                   

                                                                                

25  association are hereby incorporated by reference as those                   

                                                                                

26  standards exist on the effective date of the amendatory act that            

                                                                                

27  added this subsection.  The department of consumer and industry             


                                                                                

1   services shall accept proof of certification supplied by the                

                                                                                

2   operator that is subject to verification by the certifying                  

                                                                                

3   organization.                                                               

                                                                                

4       (5) The inspection conducted by the department of consumer                  

                                                                                

5   and industry services shall comply with the following conditions            

                                                                                

6   and be conducted under the following circumstances:                         

                                                                                

7       (a) The owner or operator shall prepare the boiler for a                    

                                                                                

8   hydrostatic test at least equal to the maximum allowable working            

                                                                                

9   pressure and up to 1.25 times the maximum allowable working                 

                                                                                

10  pressure with water temperature between 60 degrees Fahrenheit and           

                                                                                

11  120 degrees Fahrenheit.                                                     

                                                                                

12      (b) The inspector shall provide and use a certified                         

                                                                                

13  calibrated pressure test gauge.  The maximum allowable operating            

                                                                                

14  pressure shall not exceed the original manufacturer's                       

                                                                                

15  recommendation for both lap seam and butt strap seam barrel                 

                                                                                

16  construction.                                                               

                                                                                

17      (6) After the completion of the hydrostatic test, the                       

                                                                                

18  department of consumer and industry services may inspect the                

                                                                                

19  boiler for an internal visual inspection of the crownsheet,                 

                                                                                

20  fluesheets, sidesheets, mudleg, and staybolt.  Under those                  

                                                                                

21  circumstances, the operator shall prepare the boiler for that               

                                                                                

22  internal inspection.  The department of consumer and industry               

                                                                                

23  services shall not require an ultrasonic test.                              

                                                                                

24      (7) Each boiler regulated under this section shall have the                 

                                                                                

25  following safety devices:                                                   

                                                                                

26      (a) Pressure relief valve, subject to the following                         

                                                                                

27  conditions:                                                                 


                                                                                

1                                                                                (i) No valve of any type shall be placed between the boiler                         

                                                                                

2   and the pressure relief valve, and no valve of any type shall be            

                                                                                

3   placed in or on the outlet of the pressure relief valve.                    

                                                                                

4       (ii) The piping between the boiler and the pressure relief                   

                                                                                

5   valve shall be at least as large as the pressure relief valve               

                                                                                

6   inlet diameter and as short as practical.                                   

                                                                                

7       (iii) No reduction in pipe diameter is allowed at the                        

                                                                                

8   pressure relief valve outlet.                                               

                                                                                

9       (iv) The required pressure relief valve capacity in lbs./hr                  

                                                                                

10  shall be calculated by the boiler heating surface area above the            

                                                                                

11  grates.  The minimum lbs. steam/hr per square foot of heating               

                                                                                

12  surface shall be 5.                                                         

                                                                                

13      (b) Pressure gauge, subject to the following conditions:                    

                                                                                

14                                                                               (i) The pressure gauge shall be operational and proven                              

                                                                                

15  accurate within 5 psi at the time of inspection.                            

                                                                                

16      (ii) The pressure gauge shall have a range at least 1.5 times                

                                                                                

17  the MAWP.                                                                   

                                                                                

18      (iii) The pressure gauge shall have a siphon or water seal                   

                                                                                

19  installed between the pressure gauge and the boiler and shall be            

                                                                                

20  as short as practical.                                                      

                                                                                

21      (iv) If a valve is installed between the pressure gauge and                  

                                                                                

22  the boiler, the valve shall indicate the open position or be                

                                                                                

23  wired open.                                                                 

                                                                                

24      (c) Water gauge glass, subject to the following conditions:                 

                                                                                

25                                                                               (i) The gauge glass shall indicate the minimum safe operating                       

                                                                                

26  water level and be fully operational with working shut-offs.                

                                                                                

27      (ii) The gauge glass shall have a drain valve or petcock that                


                                                                                

1   is fully operational.                                                       

                                                                                

2       (iii) The gauge glass shall be fitted with 2 external guard                  

                                                                                

3   rods or an equivalent to protect the glass.                                 

                                                                                

4       (d) Try cocks, subject to the following conditions:                         

                                                                                

5                                                                                (i) Try cocks shall be fully operational.                                           

                                                                                

6       (ii) Try cocks shall be correctly located in reference to the                

                                                                                

7   minimum required operating water level.                                     

                                                                                

8       (e) Fusible plug, subject to the following conditions:                      

                                                                                

9                                                                                (i) All boilers shall have a fusible plug.                                          

                                                                                

10      (ii) All fusible plugs shall be constructed to meet ASME code                

                                                                                

11  and identified with the ASME nomenclature.                                  

                                                                                

12      (iii) All fireside fusible plugs shall protrude a minimum of                 

                                                                                

13  1 inch into the water.                                                      

                                                                                

14      (iv) All waterside fusible plugs may not protrude into the                   

                                                                                

15  fire area more than 1 inch.                                                 

                                                                                

16      (v) At the discretion of the field inspector, the fusible                   

                                                                                

17  plug will be removed at every fourth inspection to observe the              

                                                                                

18  ASME marking on filler material in order to inspect the condition           

                                                                                

19  of the threads in crown sheet and fusible plug and to remove any            

                                                                                

20  accumulation of scale.                                                      

                                                                                

21      (vi) Fusible plugs shall not be refilled.                                    

                                                                                

22      (f) Piping and fittings, subject to the following                           

                                                                                

23  conditions:                                                                 

                                                                                

24                                                                               (i) All steam piping components shall be used in the manner                         

                                                                                

25  for which they were designed and shall not exceed the                       

                                                                                

26  manufacturer's pressure rating.                                             

                                                                                

27      (ii) Standard schedule 80 black pipe shall be used below the                 


                                                                                

1   water line from the boiler to the first valve.  Seamless pipe is            

                                                                                

2   not required.                                                               

                                                                                

3       (iii) Galvanized pipe may be used on cold water feed lines to                

                                                                                

4   injectors and pumps.                                                        

                                                                                

5       (iv) Threaded openings shall follow accepted standard                        

                                                                                

6   practices.                                                                  

                                                                                

7       (v) All piping shall be properly supported.                                 

                                                                                

8       (vi) The blow down line or valve shall be plugged off during                 

                                                                                

9   the time the boiler is in operation on display or shall be piped            

                                                                                

10  to a safe point of discharge.                                               

                                                                                

11      (vii) The boiler should be equipped with 2 means of supplying                

                                                                                

12  feedwater while the boiler is under pressure.  Pumped water shall           

                                                                                

13  be heated.                                                                  

                                                                                

14      (viii) The owner user is allowed to install readily                           

                                                                                

15  replaceable fittings and components, such as piping, threaded               

                                                                                

16  staybolts, flues, rivets, and bracket bolts, in order to maintain           

                                                                                

17  the safe operation and historical antiquity of the boiler.                  

                                                                                

18      (8) The department of consumer and industry services shall                  

                                                                                

19  not promulgate rules regarding certifications, standards, and               

                                                                                

20  inspections that are inconsistent with those contained in this              

                                                                                

21  section.